Traditional Scouting

[Kudu 186]

The "Ideals & Service" Method was replaced by "Scouting Ideals" in 1972. According to a recent BSA religious edict, however, "Duty to God" is no longer an ideal, it is an "obligation." Perhaps the next Scoutmaster's Handbook will feature a new Ninth Method called "Obligations." :-)

 

Making these last two methods has led us to book learning leadership...

 

That was especially true for the "Personal Growth" Method introduced in 1972. The Scoutmaster's Handbook included a checklist of behavioral objectives by which you could measure each Scout's Personal Growth toward the Aims of Scouting. See:

 

http://inquiry.net/adult/methods/6th.htm

 

I don't see how "Personal Growth" can be considered a Method because there are no unique "Personal Growth" activities. Any real Scouting activity that you do to promote Personal Growth can be categorized under one of the other Methods. Personal Growth is more of an Aim, but we have enough of those already: 1972 was the year in which the third Aim of Scouting was introduced, "Fitness," along with four subcategories--Physical Fitness, Mental Fitness, Moral Fitness, and Emotional Fitness--each with its own set of behavioral objectives!

 

Baden-Powell's model of Scouting has one single Aim, "Citizenship." Under Citizenship, Scouting activities are divided into those which promote character, and those which promote physical fitness. So you could say that this model only has one "Aim" and two "Methods" :-)

 

I would agree that the 1972 "Leadership Development" Method with its "Nine Leadership Skills" was more abstract than Patrol Leader Training, see:

 

http://inquiry.net/leadership/9skills.htm

 

Compare that to Traditional Scouting's Patrol Leader Training, which is all about specific "What do I do on Saturday?" skills rather than abstract leadership theory:

 

http://inquiry.net/patrol/green_bar/index.htm

 

You will note, however, there every one of the Patrol Leader Training sessions included required Scout reading assignments from the Patrol Leader's Handbook and adult assignments from the Scoutmaster's Handbook. So Traditional training was certainly more "hands on," but it included "book learning" too :-)

 

Note also that the Uniform Method was eliminated in 1972 and demoted to mere "program element" status!

 

See the history of Scouting Methods outline at:

 

http://inquiry.net/adult/methods/index.htm

 

Kudu

 

 

[ronvo 10]

Aha! So national killed the unifom and then tried to reinstate its importance. There ain't no goin' back!

 

Of course the fact is - contrary to the dedicated Scouters on this forum - for most of our membership - and from looking at scouting web sites in other countries - the uniform IS scout shirt and jeans!

 

As in most corporate organizations people have to justify their jobs and believe that "there is always room from improvement."

Unfortunately improvement in their minds means change and so they try to "fix something that ain't broke."

 

rv